Even Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s biology teacher doesn’t know how evolution works

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, evolution can be straightforward or complex, depending on the species and circumstances. Thankfully, you can take biology classes with Jacq to learn the basics—but he might not have all of his facts straight either.

In a Jan. 1 Reddit thread, one player pointed out how multiple gaming site guides have the wrong answer listed for Jacq’s biology final. The exam question is: “If a Pokémon is holding an Everstone, will using an item that induces Evolution, such as a Fire Stone, cause it to evolve?” While many guides currently say the answer is no, the actual answer is yes.

This may reflect poorly on gaming sites for seemingly providing the wrong answer for fans, but we shouldn’t be so quick to point the finger; according to multiple fans in the thread, “no” was the correct answer on the exam until devs realized that’s not actually how it works and quietly changed the answer to “yes” in one of the patches. This small fix was not included in any of the official patch notes.

The question itself is an obscure one. The Everstone’s description explicitly states, “A Pokémon holding this peculiar stone is prevented from evolving.” Based on this, you’d assume any form of evolution would be blocked by this item, regardless of the method. Therefore, “no” feels like the logical answer on the exam, and that’s likely why the devs and Jacq originally had “no” as the “correct” answer. It just makes sense.

However, evolution stones are somehow an exception and can bypass the Everstone’s intended effect. I went ahead and tested out this peculiar interaction myself since this isn’t something a normal trainer would otherwise do—if you want your Pokémon to evolve, the last thing you’re going to do is give it an Everstone to hold.

I let my Growlithe hold the Everstone, and sure enough, it still evolved into Arcanine when I used a Fire Stone on it. It’s unclear what the science is behind that interaction, and I’d ask my biology teacher Jacq, but he apparently didn’t know about either until one of the patches magically changed the exam answer.

It feels like Jacq tried to pull a fast one with a trick question that not many players would know from firsthand experience, but in the end, he was the one grading the exams incorrectly. So if you’re an expert on Pokémon evolution but missed that question on the final, you know who to blame.